Window frame and sash therefor



Aug. 6, 1935. E. H. McCLlNTOCK 2,010,550

WINDOW FRAME KND SASH THEREFOR Filed Jan. 17, 1935 5 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR f [0 W490 HM-(zwmm BY W* 7001 ATTORNEYS 1935. E. H. MGCLINTOCK 2,010,550

WINDOW FRAME AND SASH THEREFOR Filed Jan. 17, 1955 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTO [mm/20 HM-(zwmor ATTORNEYS 1935. E. H. Mc CLlNTOCK 2,010,550

WI NDOW FRAME AND SASH THEREFOR Filed Jan. 17, 1935 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR fan/Aw HM-(L/A/mc/r ATTORNEYS Patented Aug. 6, 1935 UNlTED STATES PATENT OFFICE Edward H. McClintock,

West Springfield, Mass.

Application'lanuary 17, 1935, Serial No. 2,147

6 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in window frames and sliding sash therefor.

The improvements are especially adapted for, although not necessarily limited to, metal sash.

" They e also especially adapted for, although not necessarily limited to, building constructLons, in which structural units of the type disclosed in my copending application for U. S. Letters Patent filed August 3, 1934 under Seria No. 738,313, are utilized.

The invention has for an object the provision of a window frame in which the sash may slide freely without binding and in which the usual parting bead may be eliminated.

The invention also has for an object the provision of a window frame in which the sash may be tightly sealed, when locked together, and yet slide freely when released.

According to the invention, each sash is shaped to fit like a wedge in the frame and, when the sashare drawn inwardly by the locking of them together, each sash tightly fits its frame with a very effective sealing. engagement. After the sash are unlocked, a slight push on either will .free it from such engagement with its frame and thereafter it will slide up or down with freedom.

The invention provides a window frame which can be mounted in very thin walls, one which enables the windows to be placed more closely together and one which affords an exposed area of glass nearly equal to the area of the window frame opening.

The frame and sash, when made of metal as is preferred, may be made up simply and inexpensively from standard angle irons and steel plates and may be readily combined with structural units of the form disclosed in the aforesaid application.

Other objects will appear as the detailed description proceeds and will be pointed out in the appended claims.

The invention will be disclosed with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. l is a fragmentary exterior elevational view showing a window frame and sash, embodying my invention, mounted in place in a build- Figs. 2 and 3 are sectional views taken on the lines 22 and 33, respectively, of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary sectional plan view taken on the line 4--4 of Fig. 3 and drawn full size;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary elevational view showing a detail used at the upper corners of the lower sash;

Fig. 6 is a full size, fragmentary cross sectional view illustrative of the construction at the upper corners of the upper sash;

Fig. is a fragmentary, full size, sectional view taken on the line 1-1 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary plan view similar to Fig. 4 except that certain parts are broken away to show underlying construction and Fig. 9 is a bottom plan view taken on the line 9--9 of Fig. 3.

Referring to these drawings; the window frame includes two laterally spaced side members IQ (Figs. 1 and 2), interconnected by end members, usually in the form of top and bottom members Ii and 12, respectively, (Fig. 3). Preferably, these members consist of angle irons, as shown, although this is not necessarily essential, according to all features of the invention. The essential feature is that the inner side of each vertical member I0 have two angularly related surfaces l3 (Fig. 4), presenting a substantially wedgelike cross sectional shape, and that the wedge like innerface of one member Ill be opposed to the corresponding face of the other, so that the surfaces l3 of each member converge toward the other member. The surfaces l3 of each member M, as shown, intersect in a line or ridge H, but this ridge need not necessarily be a sharp line as shown. That is, the two surfaces 13 need not form a sharp pointed wedge. The upper and lower members II and I2 extend horizontally across between the two members It) and each is notched at its ends to fit these members I0 in the manner shown in Fig. 4 in connection with one end of member I l. The members H and 12 are secured to members I0 in any suitable way, as for example, by welding. These members H and I2 are preferably mounted at an angle as shown in Fig. 3, so as to present parts l5 and I8, respectively, which slope downwardly and outwardly from the ridge l4, and these parts desirably project beyond the outer edges of the members ID to form watersheds. The lower member l2 has an extension piece ll, secured'thereto, as by welding, but the two parts I6 and I! might be integral if desired.

The sash are preferably metal, as shown, and each is formed of angle iron presenting, as shown, upper and lower rails l8 and 19, respectively, and connecting side rails 20. The glass is designated 2| and the putty 22. The side rails 20 have fixed to their outerv faces angle irons 23 (Fig. 2). One leg of each angle iron 23 abuts the side rail and is suitably secured thereto, as by welding, and the other leg is adapted to lie parallel and closely adjacent the window casing as will later appear. The two roiuided outer edges of the two legs of each angle iron 23 are adapted to engage one of the surfaces is under certain conditions, to be hereinafter described. One sash is adapted to lie on one side of the ridges I4 of the frame and the other sash on the other side of said ridge. The upper rail Q3 of the upper sash has fixed thereto an angle iron 24 (Figs. 2, 6 and 8); one leg of which is fixed to said rail and the other end of which extends vertically. The two rounded outer edges of this angle iron are adapted, under certain conditions, to engage the lower face I 5 of angle iron 5 i The upper ends of the angle irons 23 project above their respective top rails l8 (Figs. 6 and 7) and the upper ends or the angle irons 23 on the upper sash are bevelled to abut the surface 55 of angle iron H. The angle iron 24 extends between and abuts the projecting ends of the angle irons 23 on the upper sash (Fig. 8) and the abutting parts are welded together. On the lower rail IQ of the lower sash is similarly fixed an angle iron 25, the rounded outer edges of which are adapted to abut the sill, in this case the extension piece ll thereof. The ends of angle iron 25 are cut to fit the siufaces l3 as shown in Fig. 9.

On the lower rail E9 of the upper sash is secured a plate 25 (Figs. 1, 3 and 9), the ends of which are beveled to fit the surfaces I3 as shown in Fig. 9. A similar plate 21 is secured to the upper rail l8 of the lower sash and the ends of this plate are cut to fit the surfaces l3 as shown in Figs. 2 and 4. These plates 26 and 2'! form the meeting rail, each projecting beyond the rail to which it is secured and these projecting edges overlapping as shown in Fig. 3. A lug 28 is bent upwardly and inwardly from the inner edge of the plate 2i to lie at an angle of about 45 there- In this lug, the head end of a thumb screw 29 is rotatably mounted, the other end thereof being threaded into the plate 26. By turning screw 29 in the appropriate direction, the upper sash and the lower sash may be drawn together at the meeting rail and locked. Any other suitable means may be provided for this purpose, the essentials being to secure a vertical as well as a horizontal component of movement, whereby the upper sash will be forced upwardly and the lower sash forced downwardly when the two are locked together. When the upper sash is thus forced upwardly, the angle iron 24 engages surface l5 of angle iron H and is cammed inwardly toward ridge M (Fig. 6). The lower edge of the .upper sash is drawn inwardly by the sash lock.

The result is that the angle irons 23 on the side rails of the upper sash are forced inwardly with a wedging action against the outer surfaces l3 of the side members I0 of the window frame. Similarly, the lower sash is moved in the opposite direction toward ridge l to force its angle irons 23 against the other surfaces l3 of member H). The sash lock draws in the upper end of the lower sash and causes angle iron 25 to be cammed inwardly by its wedging engagement with the sill plate ll. In this way, each sash is made to fit tightly in its frame along all sides. Each sash is virtually wedged into place in the frame and a tight seal obtained which is not possible with sliding sash mounted in the common way.

The sash may be suspended and counterbalanced in any suitable way. As an example of one expedient which is practical for this purpose, I show spring sash balances 36 of standard form, which may conveniently be mounted above angle iron H in a pocket formed between such angle iron, an overlying angle iron 3| (Fig. 3) and extensions of the angle irons Ill. The angle iron 3! is fitted at its ends to the angle irons l0 and secured thereto. The balances 38 are all fixed to a sheet metal plate 32, the ends of which are turned downwardly as at 33, and notched to fit the upper face of angle iron H, being secured thereto as by welding. The metal straps of the sash balances are shown at 34. The lower ends of one pair of straps are secured by studs 35 (Figs. 7 and 8) to those portions of the angle irons 23 which project above their respective sashes. The lower ends of the other pair of straps are engaged with hooks 36 on brackets 31 secured to plate 27 (Figs. 2, 5 and 8). The angle iron II is suitably slotted (Fig. 4) to allow the straps 34 to pass therethrough.

When the sash lock is released, a slight push will free either sash from engagement with the surfaces 13 and thereafter it will slide freely. Each sash is normally so suspended that it is loosely guided in the space between one pair of surfaces l3 and suitable retaining devices, such as those shown at 38. The angle irons 23 do not, have to bear either on the surfaces 43 or against members 38. They may be given ample freedom for easy sliding because of the draw-up feature, above described, which enables each sash to be wedged tightly into the window frame when the two sash are locked. Y

The window frame, as herein shown, is combined with studding of the type disclosed in my copending application, above identified. The structural unit of that application comprises a strip of nailing medium, such as wood, having a pair of opposed wedge-shaped portions, and a pair of angle bars one for each said portion together with means for drawing the angle bars together to compress the nailing strip therebetween. In these drawings, the nailing strip is shown at 39; its opposed wedge shaped portions at 49; one of the angle bars may be the member IQ of the window frame; the other angle bar is designated 4i; and the means for drawing the angle bars together are the screws 42 (Fig. 4) In like manner, the horizontal angle irons l6 and 3i each function as part of a similar structural unit. The several nailing strips enable the inner and outer siding members A3 and A l (which as shown herein are of metal) to be nailed thereto. Also, the interior and exterior casings 38 and 45 may be secured to these nailing strips. The casings 38, it will be remembered, serve also as retaining strips to hold the sash in place in the frame. It is not essential that the casings perform this function because any other suitable means may be used for the purpose but the described arrangement is desirable because of its simplicity and low cost.

It will be clear that the window construction is especially adapted to building construction in which structural units of the type shown in my prior application are utilized. Obviously, the invention is capable of other and broader applications and lends itself to any type of building construction. The window frame need not be combined with the special form of studding described and can equally well be an entirely separate unit and it need not be made up of angle bars or even of metal. The window frame may or may not include the upper extension, including angle iron 3!, in which the sash balances are mounted. The essential features are the wedge-like formation of the confronting faces of the side members I0 of the window frame and cooperating members on the upper and lower sash to' engage these wedge-like surfaces of the frame in the manner above described. Preferably, also, the sloping sill I6-ll and the sloping top, such as the outer leg i 5 of angle iron H, are provided on the frame and cooperating members provided on the upper and lower sash to effect, in conjunction with the action of a suitable sash lock, the drawing in of each sash into tightly wedged relation with the frame.

In use, when the sash are locked together, they are tightly sealed in their frame. The angle irons 23 are drawn in toward the central plane, in which the corner edges M of the two upright angle iron side members It! are located. Both of the outer rounded corner edges of each angle iron 23 will engage the surface l3 and, in addition, the corner edge of the sash angle iron rail l9 will engage this surface. Thus, each sash has at its sides line contact with the surface I3 and contact along a plurality of spaced parallel lines. "A tight seal along the sides is thus afforded and yet the sash can slide freely, when released. With a slight push on the sash, up or down as the case may be, the sash rides out of wedging engagement with the surfaces l3 and will slide freely. Normally, and as preferred, the sash are so suspended that they slide freely in the space-between the surfaces l3 and the casings 38 without engagement with either but, even if engagement of the angle irons 23 with the surfaces l3jis' had, it is line engagement and thus presents a minimum of friction. The feature of line contact is not necessarily essential but it is very desirable, important and preferred. If the sides of the sash were offull wedge shape and engaged a substantial area of each surface IS, a particle of dirt might prevent the desired tight sealing engagement, of sash in frame. The same particle of dirt, if engaged by the angle iron 23, would be squeezed out and forced to one side or the other of the line of contact and out of the way. The sash are also effectively sealed at top and bottom and along the meeting rail. At the top, the angle iron 24 engages along two lines with the angle iron I 5 and at the bottom the angle iron 25 engages along two lines with the sill plate II. The action in looking the sash at the meeting rail forces each of the sash inwardly toward the ridge M at one end and also forces the upper sash upwardly and the lower sash downwardly, thereby forcing the other ends of the sash inwardly by the cam action of the angle irons 24 and 25 on the members I5 and II, respectively. Thus the sash are virtually wedged in place.

The invention enables the use of thin partitions,that herein shown being one and one-half inches or about half the thickness of the usual thin partition. It also enables the sash to be set closely together, which is especially important in the construction of solariums and the like. Ordinarily, the space between the exposed parts of glass in two adjacent sash is nearly twelve inches, while with the use of this invention the distance can be reduced to two and three-quarters inches,the distance marked at in Fig. 4 being one and three-eighths inches. Another advantage of the invention is that it eliminates the usual parting bead. which is a source of much trouble, and enables a closer spacing of the upper and lower sash. The usual parting bead is one-half inch thick, which means a corresponding space between the sash at the meeting rail. With this invention, the space between the sash at the meeting rail is reduced to one-eighth inch. .The dimensions mentioned are illustrated and have been given to enable a comparison to be made between what can be done with this invention and what is done with standard practice. The dimensions are not intended, in any sense, as setting up the limits of the invention.

The invention thus provides an improved window frame and sash therefore, characterized in that the sash can be tightly sealed in the frame, when'locked, and yet slide freely therein, when released, and inthat it can be used in thin partitions and allow a close spacing between adjacent sash with a maximum area of exposed glass.

I claim:

1. In combination, a window frame having laterally-spaced side members and interconnecting top and bottom members, the inner and confronting parts of said side members presenting oppositely-located longitudinally-disposed and surfaces diverging outwardly in opposite directions from each side of the plane in which said ridges are disposed, upper and lower sash suspended to hang one on one side and the other on the other side of said plane and having side rails complementarily shaped for and capable of wedging engagement with said flaring surfaces, said sash being so suspended as to move freely without wedging engagement with said flaring surfaces during movement of the sash and when the sash lie in positions other than their extreme and window-closing positions, means op erable when the sash are in said extreme positions to draw them together along their meeting horizontal rails and at the same time impart an upward thrust to the upper sash and a downward thrust to the lower'sash, and means on the top and bottom members engageable respectively with the upper rail of the upper sash and with the lower rail of the lower sash and operable by said upward and downward thrust, respectively, when and only when the sash are moved into said extreme positions to force the sash in opposite directions laterally inward toward said plane, both said means cooperating to force the side rails of the sash into wedging engagement with said flaring surfaces.

2. In combination, a window frame having laterally-spaced side members and interconnecting end members, the inner and confronting parts of said side members being substantially in the form of opposed and longitudinally disposed wedges with the narrow edge of one wedge nearest to and opposite the narrow edge of the other wedge, upper and lower sash mounted to slide one on one side and the other on the other side of a plane passing through said edges, the. sides of each sash adapted to engage one with one face of one such wedge and the other with the opposite face of the other wedge, means for drawing the sash together along the lower rail of the upper sash and along the upper rail of the lower sash and for forcing the upper sash upwardly and the lower sash downwardly, coacting means on the lower end member and on the lower rail of the lower sash for camming the lower part of the lower sash inwardly as it is forced downwardly by the last named means and coacting means on the other end member and on the upper rail of the upper sash for camming the upper part of the upper sash inwardly toward said plane as it is forced upwardly, whereby said sash may be drawn into wedging engagement with said faces.

3. In combination, a window frame having laterally-spaced side members and interconnecting ridges top and bottom members, the inner and confronting parts of said side members presenting oppositely-located longitudinally-disposed ridges and surfaces diverging outwardly in opposite directions from each side of the plane in which said ridges are disposed, upper and lower sash mounted to slide one on one side and the other on the other side of said plane and having side rails shaped for wedging engagement with said flaring surfaces, said top member having a part in the path of the upper rail of the upper sash which slopes downwardly and outwardly from said ridges, said upper rail having a part for wedging engagement with said sloping part and operable when the upper sash is forced upwardly to force the upper part of the upper sash inwardly toward said ridges, said bottom member having a part with a similarly directed slope and the lower rail of the lower sash having a part for wedging engagement with said lower sloping part and operable when the lower sash is forced downwardly to force its lower partinwardly toward said ridges, and means acting on the lower rail of the upper sash and the upper rail of the lower sash to draw them together toward said ridges and at the same time force the upper sash upwardly and the lower sash downwardly, whereby both sash may be wedged into said frame with a tightly sealed joint.

4. In combination, a window frame comprising as sides a pair of spaced parallel angle irons mounted with their corner edges in the same plane and each leg of one diverging with respect to the corresponding and opposed leg of the other in a direction outwardly away from said plane, and spaced end members interconnecting said sides, sash mounted to slide one on one side and the other on the other side of said plane, and angle irons one on each side of each sash and each so mounted that the outer edge of each leg engages one leg of an angle iron side.

5. In combination, a window frame comprising as sides a pair of spaced parallel angle irons mounted with their corner edges in the same plane and each leg of one diverging with respect to the corresponding and opposed leg of the other in a direction outwardly away from said plane, and spaced end members interconnecting said sides, sash mounted to slide one on one side and the other on the other side of said plane, angle irons one on each side of each sash and each so mounted that the outer edge of each leg engages one leg of an angle iron side, an angle iron on the upper rail of the upper sash, and an angle iron on the lower rail of the lower sash, said end members having sloping parts one adapted to be engaged by the outer edge of each leg of one of the last named angle irons and the other by the outer edge of each leg of the other of the last named angle irons.

6. In combination, a window frame comprising as sides a pair of spaced parallel angle irons mounted with their corner edges in the same plane and each leg of one diverging with respect to the corresponding and opposed leg of the other in a direction outwardly away from said plane, and spaced end members interconnecting said sides, sash mounted to slide one on one side and the other on the other side of said plane, angle irons one on each side of each sash and each so mounted that the outer edge of each leg engages one leg of an angle iron side, an angle iron on the upper rail of the upper sash and an angle iron on the lower rail of the lower sash, said end members having sloping parts one adapted to be engaged by the outer edge of each leg of one of the last named angle irons and the other by the outer edge of each leg of the other of the last named angle irons, and means for drawing said sash together at the meeting rail and forcing one upwardly and the other downwardly.

EDWARD H. MCCLINTOCK. 

